THE FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

THE FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

Knots in the stomach, dry throat, heaviness in the chest cavity, heavy head and even blurred vision. Sounds familiar? At some point of time, most of us have experienced the fear and trepidation, by the mere thought of having to speak in front of an audience. The anxiety inhibits our ability to articulate and its root cause is different for different individuals. A while ago, I came across a quote by John Ford: ‘You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart’. This quote is a revelation amidst the vortex of anxious moments. If the message comes from the heart, then the tongue speaks it well……..does it mean that memorising the script will make us a confident speaker? The answer is NO…….hint ‘Chatur from 3 idiots’! It is important to know the text well, but even more so, is to understand it and feel confident through the nuances of varied terminologies. Consider your topic to be your best friend whom you have to introduce it to the world, by giving away some minute details and interesting facts. Does it sound easy? Yes it is, because you know your best friend in and out. Apply the same concept to the topic, on which you need to speak up in front of an audience. Know the subject matter well, have a thorough understanding of the script and being comfortable with the terminologies used.

Thus one of the keys to ‘Public Speaking’ is to GET THE SUBJECT MATTER INTO YOURSELF.